D34 Douglas to Lusk

(Barbara and Son-in-law)

Mileage: 52.7

Video: https://www.relive.cc/view/vKv21NW1xoq 

Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/93670576?privacy_code=0gtVCzkJfjhFyaF8

Tomorrow's Destination: Crawford, NE

Tonight's Accommodations: Townhouse Motel

One day at a time is the new motto. I learned that a good friend and mentor is getting surgery on a potentially cancerous tumor and there's some other non-bike trip stuff going on. Sorry, I can't go into the details. Being far from people I love is hard, especially after the ride is done for the day. The thought that I’m not even half way through is daunting. 

(Leaving my mark)

Biking-wise, today was a grind. The miles were low, but the effort was not. I had a mid to high teens headwind the whole way. The good news was that my spirits remained high. Heading out of town, I started a long gradual uphill. It began the theme of having to stay in my low gears. The road out of town had a surprising number of houses that could have been farmhouses or maybe just ‘suburbs’ for Douglas. Eventually, these petered out and pure rangeland along with gravel began. I passed one area labelled Lane Homestead that had trees! I was so excited.

(Trees!)

After 17 miles the gravel road turned onto US 18/20. Traffic was light and the drivers nice. The shoulder was wide. I passed a road called Spanish Diggings and a near ghost town called Lost Springs. Lost Springs had a restroom, a bar (The Lost Bar) and a closed store that I used to get out of the wind. There were no services until 9 miles to Lusk. 

(Lost Springs)

I got to Lusk at 11:56, not that I was checking. It’s a very friendly town where a general delivery package was waiting for me at the US Post Office. It works! I got my summer weight sleeping bag. Hopefully, I’ll use it. This area is in a heat wave. I opted not to camp at Ft Robinson tomorrow because temps will reach 95 with cooling only to 70. I’m still a Seattle weather wimp.

(I made it through the wind)

On my way into town, a woman sitting outside a coffee stand waved at me. I went over and chatted with her and her son-in-law who run the stand. She is one of those people you know instantly. Asked if they could sign my book and snap a picure and yes they could. Barbara moved here from Denver, is 81, and loves Lusk. Her son-in-law says he sees about 15 cyclists a week pass through. When I left Barbara insisted on giving me $20 despite my telling her I had a good job.

After I got my package I had a great veggie pizza at the Pizza Place. I’ve been having trouble eating enough because I’m sick of bar and grill food and what I have. The pizza was original enough that I could enjoy every bite. I went back for dinner.

(Good pizza)

Lusk has the Stagecoach Museum which is also a local history museum. The stagecoach itself is, as I learned, a rare artifact. There aren’t many originals left. I also learned that Spanish Diggings Road is called that because it leads to a site where people thousands of years ago mined rock and made tools. Early settlers thought people from Spain had made the mines. Hence the name.

(original stagecoach)

I am now ready for bed. Tomorrow is another sub-60 day (which I need to average to finish by August 15) but it will be hard. It’ll be hot and windy (but not as windy). It’ll be 93 by the time I arrive in Crawford, but it’ll be a new state. The head means I’ll have to keep my miles low. I am beginning to worry that I may not be able to finish. I’ll assess as I go. I’ll also assess my own commitment to the ride. I may still end early, but I don’t want it to be the big drama of a couple of days ago. A new thought is to do the ride in stages so I don’t have be away from home for so longer. Omaha would be a natural place to break it up. We’ll see. 

Goodnight!